Observator Launches Mind the Gap by Alessandra Stoicescu – The First Podcast Filmed on the Bucharest Metro
Actor Marius Manole Is the First Guest on Mind the Gap
Observator announces the launch of Mind the Gap by Alessandra Stoicescu, a new video interview format that takes conversations out of the studio and onto the Bucharest Metro. Just one carriage, one seat, a door that closes, and questions waiting to be answered.
Mind the Gap by Alessandra Stoicescu breaks away from the conventions of the traditional interview. Alessandra Stoicescu picks up each guest from their home, and the journey begins with a rapid-fire questionnaire in the car. They then head to the metro together. Once aboard, surrounded by commuters on their way to work or back home, the conversation unfolds—leaving no subject unexplored.
"The most honest thing you can get from someone is their first reaction, before they've had the chance to construct an answer. That's why I pick them up from home and take them to the metro: I ask questions on the way, and I listen once we're on the train.
I've learned that when you sit beside someone instead of facing them, they begin to speak differently. And the metro is perhaps the most honest place in Bucharest: it shakes you, rushes you, and gives you no time to compose yourself. On the metro, there's no flattering lighting and no direction to rescue you," says Alessandra Stoicescu.
For the premiere episode, Alessandra Stoicescu chose someone who has spent a lifetime in the public eye, yet whose personal story remains surprisingly little known. Marius Manole, one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, holds a lifetime contract with the National Theatre. Their conversation moves from waltz steps to loneliness, fear, and personal vices. On stage, he is at the top of his craft. Off stage, he admits he struggles with everyday life—he doesn't pay his own bills and relies on the people around him.
The podcast is available on observatornews.ro, AntenaPLAY, and the Alessandra Stoicescu YouTube channel.
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